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THE WATCH MECHANISM EXPOSED

Date:19 Mar 2017

Categories: News & Events, Innovation

Sapphire, the new Holy Grail of Hublot.

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[I]“Hublot is a family whose products all share the same DNA, and sapphire is one of them. A fascinating and very demanding material whose total transparency requires an absolutely perfect level of finish. Its machining remains a real challenge for us, and is a process that we optimise constantly. By exposing us to new constraints, each model pushes us to improve ourselves. The quest for technical and aesthetic excellence is a real motivator for our teams”.[/i]

Ricardo Guadalupe, CEO Hublot

Following the example of the All Black concept, which became an unmissable trend, the transparency took the Hublot collections by storm. After the MP-05 “LaFerrari” Sapphire, the Big Bang Unico Sapphire, it’s now the turn of the emblematic barrel-shaped case of the Spirit of Big Bang to become transparent. When the decoration of your watch becomes invisible, the secrets of its architecture and its movement are revealed directly to your gaze.

ALL IN SAPPHIRE MODE

The philosophy of the visible and the invisible as a new trend

Returning to the codes of watchmaking, always in search of excellence and audacity, Hublot has defined its invisible visibility concept as a mega-trend. A watch that tells you everything, reveals everything, takes on everything, from its case middle to its motor, from its heart to its soul, and whose transparency introduces itself up to its structured silicone-lined strap.

Watch mechanism with full transparency

Unveiling all of its construction and its skeletonised movement, the Spirit of Big Bang in sapphire allows the ultra-lightweight and a minimalist style both visually and when worn.

The upper part of the case with the bezel, the two end caps and the lower part including the back and the crystal revealing the movement, are made from 4 blocks of machined sapphire. The barrel shape of the case was an additional challenge, including the development of a new machine and new processes to polish its components while offering an optimal finish. This procedure was made all the more delicate since the total transparency of the sapphire tolerates no marks associated with the machining operations.

Thanks to 3D machining and almost 100 hours of work, the Spirit of Big Bang Sapphire is as hard and scratch-resistant as diamond (9 on the Mohs scale, versus 10 for diamond). The only visible elements that remain are the crown, pushers, case screws, the 6 H-shaped screws of the bezel and the deployant buckle clasp, cut from titanium, and the components of the movement. Released in only 250 pieces, the Spirit of Big Bang Sapphire is waterproof to 50 metres.

A minimalist style made of clarity, purity and transparency. A watch that bears witness to a new trend.